Duchess Zian was 52 years old and looked every bit of it today. It was jarring.
The Empress was used to her sister-in-law almost glowing with youth, barely looking a day older than 30. Duchess Zian was famous for the meticulous care she took of her body. Many women in the capital followed her, spending hours oiling their hair and skin. The Duke was also fond of gifting The Duchess jewels, gems, and other accessories. She never wore the same thing twice.
The woman in front of her bared no resemblance to that. Duchess Zian was free of her tasteful makeup and glistening jewels. The whiteness of mourning clothes cast her face in a gray shadow. Her eyes, red and raw, were bone dry. She had cried out all her tears before the funeral.
It wasn’t often that the Forbidden City went into mourning for branch members of the Imperial Family. It was unfortunate that Yigue was given this honor. While the public mourning would only be in place for a month instead of the customary 100 days, it was a greater honor than many of His Majesty’s brothers would ever obtain.
Ministers and nobility alike crowded inside Dafuge. It twisted The Empress’ heart to watch those who barely remembered Yigue cry and wail, hoping their noise would catch The Emperor’s eye. She expected a performance from His Majesty's concubines, but seeing middle-aged men use a funeral as a stage for their opera turned her stomach.
It was a blessing to hide away in Yikungong with Duchess Zian.
“Duchess Zian,” said Shiyi, “The funeral was long and exhausting. Please, replenish your body with this red date and ginseng soup. Her Highness made this with the ten-thousand-year ginseng she received on her wedding day. It will revitalize you,”
Shiyi held out the steaming bowl, but Duchess Zian made no move to take it.
The Empress locked eyes with Shiyi and gestured for her to leave the soup nearby and withdraw. The senior maid did so, taking the surrounding servants with her.
“Prince Yuanjun of the first rank,” Duchess Zian said, her voice hoarse, “I won’t ever be able to repay His Majesty for this grace,”
“His Majesty would’ve preferred if Yigue were able to earn this title many more years down the line,” replied The Empress.
A small smile slipped onto Duchess Xian’s face, “Yes. That would’ve been nice,”
“Have you been taking care of yourself, jiejie?” Asked The Empress.
“Your Highness is too kind to ask after me. I don’t deserve it. Yigue died because of my incompetence. I was so sick when I was pregnant with him, remember? I couldn’t even carry him to term,” Duchess Zian clenched her hands together until her knuckles turned white, “I should be grateful he lived this long,”
The Empress grabbed The Duchess’ hand, “Don’t say that. I remember how you suffered during your pregnancy and his birth. But I also remember that he gained vitality year after year and had no trouble charming Royal Father and His Majesty. Yigue lived well because of you, not despite you,”
Duchess Zian shook her head, “No. Her Highness is kind to comfort me, but I know the truth. We all know the truth. I failed, and His Majesty knows as well,”
“What do you mean?” Asked The Empress.
His Majesty had never spoken ill of The Duchess. He held her in just as much esteem as he did Duke Zian.
“At the end of the eleventh month, two girls will be marrying into the household, as decreed by His Majesty,”
“How can that be?” Asked The Empress, “Duke Zian has refused concubines from His Majesty for decades now,”
Taking a deep breath, The Duchess raised her chin high and spoke in a strong, steady voice, “I accepted the concubines,”
Only the years of etiquette stopped The Empress’ mouth from gaping open. The Duke and Duchess had the household that countless noblewomen dreamed of–a peaceful one. They respected and learned to love one another easily. Despite his status, the Duke was content and lived happily with only three concubines, personally selected by The Duchess. The three concubines were treated well by both The Duke and The Duchess and lived lives free of scheming.
“Don’t look at me like that,” snapped The Duchess, “I am the wife of Duke Zian and the Aisin-Gioro clan. I exist to give the Aisin-Gioro clan sons. If I cannot do so, I must find someone who can. All His Majesty did was search for me,”
Duchess Zian pursed her lips, “I’m surprised you didn’t know,”
“I only know what His Majesty allows me to know,” The Empress said, surprising herself by the even tone in her voice, “These two girls, where are they from?”
“The Xue family,”
“Which Xue family?” Asked The Empress.
“Your huang gui fei’s Xue family. Her youngest sister, Xue Chungrong, and her niece, Xue Suyin,”
The pieces fell into place for The Empress quickly. These last few years, huang gui fei had made it evident that she believed that The Empress had The Emperor’s favor because of her powerful clan. However, the idea that Duke Zian would be swayed into giving His Majesty lip service to promote her father was laughable. The Duke hated politics. While His Majesty held him in high regard, The Duke was The Late Emperor’s least favorite son. The Duke rejected learning to manage the state and avoided court as often as possible. He’d never been to war and only socialized with his family.
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“Ah,” said The Empress, “You’ll have an easy time then. They’ll listen well,”
“I can only hope. I knew I could govern concubines Sun, Fai, and Kang easily. Their mothers were concubines, and their clans are small,” Duchess Zian sighed, “An Imperial Noble Consort is a great backer,”
“But an Empress is an even greater one. Jiejie, don’t fret. You’re no fool. I know you’ll rise above if they cause any trouble,”
Duchess Zian nodded her head.
The Empress reached for the bowl of still-warm soup, “Here, have just one sip,”
✺
The somber tone that blanketed The Forbidden City after Yigue’s funeral made it all the better for The Empress to spend her evenings at Dafuge, praying for Prince Taio’s and Princess Anhe’s reincarnations. She would’ve preferred to be alone, but she couldn’t find in her heart to chase De gui fei away when the other woman was already deep into prayer by the time she walked inside. It was comforting. De gui fei was honest and felt the loss of each child like it were her own. Her soft chanting was a balm on The Empress’ heart.
It was a selfish thing. The Empress should’ve been praying for Yigue or the many other children The Emperor lost, but she couldn’t help it. Here in the temple, under the haze of incense and the quiet murmurings of Buddhist chants, all she could think of was them. Prince Taio would’ve been 16 by now and Anhe 10 if her fate had been better. The Empress’ days were rarely light, yet the memories of her children had chained her to this place.
A light touch to her elbow roused her from her thoughts.
“Huang gui fei is here,” whispered Shiyi.
The Empress nodded but kept her face forward and eyes closed. It was surprising to hear De gui fei wait until the last moment to greet Shen huang gui fei. The Empress waived away the formality. She tried to focus as Shen huang gui fei settled on a cushion slightly behind her.
“Duke Zian must be honored by the way His Majesty is mourning for Prince Yuanjun,” said Shen huang gui fei after she had finished settling in.
“Huang gui fei is by His Majesty’s side day and night,” said De gui fei, “His mourning shouldn’t come as a surprise,”
The slyness of De gui fei’s response gave The Empress pause. Had some conflict occurred between the two?
“Of course, De meimei. When His Majesty aches, I ache. When he cries, I cry. That’s why I came here today. I came to pray for His Majesty’s happiness,” said Shen huang gui fei.
“Huang gui fei is so tender and true. It’s no wonder His Majesty holds you so in his heart,” replied De gui fei.
The Empress quickly glanced at De gui fei. There was no mistaking the venom in her tone.
Shen huang gui fei continued, “His Majesty tossed and turned all night. He kept..he kept calling out to Yiqi,”
The Empress’ eyes shot back open at Shen huang gui fei’s audacious use of Prince Taio’s birth name.
“Huang gui fei has mourned in His Majesty’s stead for so long that she’s forgotten her manners. May Your Highness forgive her,” said De gui fei.
The room turned silent. At one point in their lives, De gui fei was a higher rank than Shen huang gui fei, and even then, De gui fei never scolded her like this.
“Ah,” said Shen huang gui fei, “De meimei is correct. I misspoke. I was startled when His Majesty called for Prince Taio. I saw him in my dreams that night as well. I asked for forgiveness for any mistakes we made, and I promised I would pray for him,”
The Empress closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. Shen huang gui fei was in a good mood today. Prince Taio died well before His Majesty was crowned. Only The Empress cared for him. If any mistakes were made, only The Empress could have made them. It was strange to hear from the mouth of a woman who could barely keep a plant alive.
“Huang gui fei is a good servant,” said The Empress. She held out a hand and let Shiyi help her stand, “She’s lost too many children to count and still remembers that the son of her master is her priority. She is truly a model for His Majesty's concubines. Please, spend the day praying for Prince Taio’s reincarnation,”
“I’ll walk with you, Your Highness,” said De gui fei.
The Empress turned around so she could watch Shen huang gui fei struggle through respectfully bidding her farewell. Never let it be said that The Empress wasn’t a merciful master. Shen huang gui fei begged for a reaction. The Empress complied with aplomb.
As they stepped through the gates of Dafuge, The Empress turned to De gui fei, “You don’t have to walk with me. It’s alright if you just wanted to escape,”
De gui fei shook her head, “I need to speak with Your Highness. Privately,”
✺
Perhaps it was foolish of The Empress to think that her excitement would end when she left Dafuge. The Empress should’ve known that the excitement was only getting started. Then she wouldn’t have been so surprised when De gui fei dropped to her knees the moment she settled into her chair. She was even more surprised when De gui fei went further and pressed her forehead to the ground.
“Your Highness,” she said, “I have something to confess,”
“De gui fei, don’t fret. Sit and chat with me. I’m sure we can resolve whatever small problem you’re having,”
Shaking her head, De gui fei stayed planted on the floor, “Your Highness, I have a crime to confess,”
The Empress nearly leapt to her feet in shock. De gui fei commit a crime? Just the idea of it was preposterous. It looked like the servants standing by thought the same. Shiyi caught her look.
“If one word of this is heard outside, you’ll be absent a tongue. Do you understand?” Shiyi asked.
The maids kneeled, bowing their heads.
“Yes, Shiyi gugu,”
Shiyi nodded, “Withdraw,”
“De gui fei,” The Empress said as she sat back down, “You should know better than to speak like that in public. Rise,”
De gui fei finally took a seat.
“Now, what is this crime?” Asked The Empress.
“I want to kill Shen haung gui fei,”